Why Syria Is Already A Quagmire

By Chris Adamo, Sep 7, 2013

With or without U.S. entanglements, or the unavoidable loss of American lives, Syria will fare no better. Back in simpler (Shall we say “more honest”?) times, war was a constitutionally defined issue, and America’s involvement in full scale military action was only likely after the Congress had identified an enemy that needed to be attacked and brought to the point of unconditional surrender. Sadly, since December 11, 1941 when Franklin Roosevelt and the Congress responded in kind to Hitler’s declaration of war againstAmerica, our nation has not operated in this manner.

This is not to suggest that America has not been involved in wars since the 1940s, but rather that those at the highest levels of government have not possessed the courage and character to openly say so. Thus, the Korean War was officially termed a “conflict,” with no congressional declaration involved, and Vietnam was likewise a “policing action” that escalated out of control, to the apparent surprise of those in charge. Somehow, George W. Bush could go into Iraq, exert military force sufficient to topple a regime, and replace it with one better suited to his governing philosophy while never declaring war. Instead, he only sought and received a congressional “authorization for the use of force.” Even Ronald Reagan’s 1983 invasion and overthrow of Grenada’s communist leader Bernard Coard fit this pattern. Though in Reagan’s defense, the event was tiny in comparison to others, American medical students were endangered by the coup that put Coard in power, and the entire action was accomplished in a matter of only a few weeks….To Read More….